Holding out for a hero
by LionxQueen
Summary: Things changed. Elena was tired of everything that happened to her and this time she is ready to take care of her problems herself. She was going to be the hero. And she could find an unexpected ally in her journey. /Delena. Rated T for now.
1. Prologue

**Hi readers! Soo, this is my first real story so I hope you are going to like it and that its not going to suck too much. This, is a prologue of the story so it's shorter. I needed to write that to put everything in place, I didn't feel like making it a chapter, it's the beginning of the story. Anyway, who cares. I would really like you to tell me what you think about it, event if you really hated it, because if nobody tells me anyhting I will not be able to correct myself, and of course to pursue the story if nobody read it. Oh and tell me if I make too much faults, English is not my first language! So I would be very grateful of you and I would answer any of your question :) **

**The story does not follow the show, even if the general environment is the same.  
**

* * *

A cracking of glass echoed in what remained of the Gilbert family's house. Elena wandered among the ruins of what was once her home. Everything was overturned, windows were broken and a burning smell overwhelmed the room. The young girl picked up the shards of a plate to put it on the only surface still standing without any emotion.

"Elena!" A man ran into the house, a panicked look on his face which vanished at the sight of the girl. His eyes went round the room, shocked by what it was seeing. "God Elena ..." He tried to approach her but she turned to look deeply into him. A wound was barring the right side of her face in its entire length and tears of rage were running down his cheek. But to his surprise he found neither sorrow, nor despair in her eyes. They were empty, emptier and harsher than he had ever seen.

"They are gone. There is still people outside, but they are gone".

The appearance of the house from the outside made him imagined the worst. She seemed to be on the verge of collapse. Suddenly a thought crossed his mind. Once again, he looked panicked as he turned at the stairs, almost begging, to see a sign of life. He was so worried about Elena that he had completely forgotten -

"They took him". Elena's sharp voice cut short his thoughts. His eyes darkened and a grimace stretched his face.

"We have to get out of here Elena. We will talk about it later." He was speaking softly, as if he feared to awaken something in her. A stake still exceeded the back pocket of her jeans. He handed her a hand with the intention of taking her out of this room, but when he saw her eyes looked back at his hand, he catch something in her eyes, something he could not decipher, and when she looked up with a sad smile on her face, he knew.

"I'm sorry", she simply said.

"For what?". He looked again at the disaster and sighed. How did they get there? How the situation could have degenerated to this point? It was as if everytime a semblance of peace was regained destiny was giving a malicious pleasure to destroy it immediately. Elena would never let his brother in Klaus's hands without doing anything. _She did not let me_.

But this time it was different. She was neither naive nor weak, and he was concerned that this accident has now increased her desire for revenge. He could feel behind her impassive face and behind the veil of her eyes the rage flowed into her. Her control was impressive, he had never seen anyone so strong. This is one of the reasons why he wanted to protect her, he did not want to see it destroyed by the dark creatures they were. He approached her and took her face in his hands.

"Let me come with you", he whispered to her. "Please". He would not let her jump into the lion's den alone, he couldn't. However he felt Elena escape as she took his hands and pulled them away.

"You can't Stefan. And you don't want to. I don't want you to". She gave him a tender smile, gently stroking his cheek. " And you have to stay here for them, they need you".

"You need me". He insisted. It was so Elena, put others before herself. She had spent her whole life doing it, and nobody never gave it back to her the way she deserved it, even him was not able to do it when she needed it. He did not even want to imagine the weight of the burden she wore every day. The suffering of others and her own. He wanted her to gain back her smile, the desire to live for something other than what others want. But even if he had wish he could, he was not the one who was supposed to. He just hoped that this person would be here soon.

"No Stefan". He moved away from her with sad eyes and trembling hands. "I know ... But Elena, you do not have to do this by yourself". He shot her a imploring look. Although she may be genuinely stronger than before, today's disaster proved she was not strong enough to cope with them. To be honest, he did not think any of them were. She let a laugh escape her. Even though her eyes remain as dark, it gave hope to Stefan.

"I don't think there is a single chance I convince Alaric to let me go alone". Stefan smiled. No, there was no way he was letting her go, especially to save Jeremy, alone. Alaric was not a vampire, but he was trained to resist them , at least he would be able to protect her from some. In addition it was the one to trained her.

"I suppose I can't do anything to change your mind."

She planted her gaze in his again and he could read in it all her determination . She grabbed the stake from her pocket and squeezed it with all his strength, a disgusted grimace on her beautiful face.

"No."

He looked at her as she made her way to the stairs, probably to recover what was left of her wardrobe. He promised himself to find a way to take care of her even if he does not go with her. He shook his head and made his own out of the house.

Elena walked into her room. Most of her affairs were now dragged on the ground. Apparently one of the siblings wanted to recover something more. She unconsciously brought her hand around her neck. _Rebekah_. Rebekah and her damn necklace. She kicked in the amount of clothes in front of her and let out a cry of rage before recovering herself. She grabbed a few of it and threw it in a bag before stopping herself to take a frame on her dresser.

A picture of her and Jeremy was placed inside. She caressed it with her fingertips before replacing it and throw herself down the stairs and get out of this house as soon as possible.

This time she would not let herself do. This time she would not let someone else solve her problems. She did not need a hero. She would get her brother back. She would find him and protect him, as she should have done a long time ago. And whoever would be on his way would suffer the consequences.


	2. Try me

Elena was waiting, leaning on Alaric's car that he finished preparing his stuff. As she had expected, he had not taken more than a few minutes after she asked him for weapons to join the expedition. To tell the truth, even if she had stubbornly refused at first, she was thankful to be joined. After Jenna's death, Alaric became their guardian and the closest thing to a father to her, as to Jeremy.

"Alaric, we are losing time!"

"Losing time for what?" replied this one, getting out of the apartment in which he lived before and where most of his stuff still were. He had a bag in each hands, his usual attire on him. He threw the bags in the trunk behind her and turned to look at her. "Jeremy is not in danger until they found whatever they want to find with his mark. We have to be careful Elena."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. Being with Alaric was clearly advantageous but she would have to endure his much more thoughtful and wise side than hers. They had prepared many weapons for two days, bombs filled vervaines, syringes, stakes, and they were about to take the road to drive to the Mikaelson's manor. This one was a few hours away of Mystic Falls, having seen a picture it was up to these people, old and elegant. It was obvious the vampires were not going to be there, but it was for now the only lead they had. Elena was both excited and frightened by the travel they were undertaking. To anybody their mission was a bit like a suicide mission, but she knew they had the ability to trap them. They had to.

"Let's go." They settled in their seats and Alaric sent a reassuring smile to Elena before starting the car. However he left the engine running, biting his lips. Elena knew him well enough to understand that he wanted to say something but he could not seem to know how to approach the subject.

"Is something wrong ?", she asked, fixing him with her big chocolates eyes . The emptiness which reigned in them after the attack she had been the victim of had disappeared, but you could always read a severity that was not there before. Alaric knew she would not hesitate to throw him out of the car to take the wheel if he announced that he had changed his mind. He clenched the steering wheel in his hands and sighed before starting to talk.

"I know you might not love the idea but ... I think we need some help Elena." He felt the body of Elena tense at his side and he winced. The last thing he wanted was to upset her but he was not as unconscious as she could be, and he wanted to save Jeremy, not condemned them all to be snapped by Klaus.

Elena crossed her arms and glared at him. "I though we had agree on this. Stefan is not coming." On this point she had no intention of giving up. She did not want Stefan on this trip.

It's not that she was angry with him, she had no reason to be. She only wanted to protect him from his sins. Things were different, Stefan always gave the impression of being sad when he was with her, and she knew very well that it was her fault. She was not what he wanted her to be. She was no longer this person, and she could no longer pretend to be. After struggling for months to pull Stefan away from the Originals, she had felt drained and irrevocably alone. She simply gave up ... She stopped smiling when she did not want to smile, laughing when she did not feel like laughing, talking when she did not want to talk. And after some time she had realized that she had no desire to do any of these things very often. She still spoke only to a few people, Caroline, Bonnie, Matt, Stefan ... And Jeremy.

That day while watching a movie, they had received a visit from Klaus and some of his hybrids. She immediately understood what he came for, but it was in vain to struggle as a lioness, she had not been able to do anything, and they took pleasure to destroy everything she had. _If they had any idea what they had triggered it._

"Actually, I was not thinking about Stefan ..." She cut short her thoughts to turn to Alaric with a confused look on her face.

"You are probably going to find this weird but ... Do you know who is Damon?" Her eyes widened to this question. Of course she knew who Damon was. He was Stefan's brother. He had mentioned him a few times before and she had never insisted seeing the sadness filled his face. She could only imagine the two brothers were not on good terms. That said she remembered that Stefan had described him as a "sociopath". She did not understand what Damon had to do with all of this.

Seeing that she did not replied, Alaric continued. "I happen to know him a little" He spoke carefully, taking care to choose the right words.

"You know Damon?" How could Alaric know him? He didn't even talk to Stefan that much. She always thought he had something against him.

"Okay, maybe more than a little. He is kind of ... my friend."Alaric ended his sentence with a growing smile on his face, as if he remembered a good memory. Elena didn't know what to say. Alaric had no friend. Apart from Elena and Jeremy, and of course her aunt, she had never seen him speak to another human being in a friendly way. Well, or vampires.

"How ... How do you even know Damon?" She shook her head in incomprehension and Alaric escaped a laugh that left her unsure.

"Let's just say, we met." He put his hands on his knees and ran his tongue over his lips. "Look, the thing is ... You don't want Stefan to come and I agree with you. The thing is, we can't go without back up. And honestly? Damon is the only vampire I know crazy enough to come with us."

"Is this Stefan's idea?" She shot him an accusing look.

He chuckled. "Oh no ..." He hesitated before adding, whispering. "He would probably kill me if he knew what I was proposing to you"

"And what exactly are you proposing to me?"

He sighed and turned his gaze on the road ahead. They didn't move from the front of the building. "I'm proposing that we make a little detour." He turned his eyes on her waiting for her reaction.

"A detour? We do not have time for a detour Alaric!"

"A _little_ detour. I know where to find him and it will only take one or two hours. We are still going to be there today." He begged her silently. He might be Elena's guardian, he knew he would never have authority over her. After all, no one ever had any authority over the Gilbert's. They were doing whatever they wanted, which led them to where they were today.

Elena didn't know what to say. She had a bad feeling about this. If Stefan didn't talk about his brother and had never called him for help, there had to be a reason. He was probably not a good person. Besides she knew absolutely nothing about him and couldn't see why she should trust a stranger to help save her brother. And why would he help? However, she could not deny that it would be a boon to have a vampire in her team. And curiosity was beginning to take her.

"Are you sure he is going to help us ?"

"No."

"But-"

"That's why I count on you and your social skill to convince him."

Elena did not answer and remained silent.

"Damon mentioned the Originals a few times. I would even bet that he had contact with Elijah at some point."

Elena stayed silent again. She was weighed the pros and cons of such a decision. She sighed finally resigned to follow this idea, as crazy as it seemed to her. They didn't have a lot of track and if this vampire could help, she would force him to spit out what he knew.

"Okay, okay."

"Yes", whispered Alaric with a smile knowing she would heard him.

"So, how is he like ?"

He wasn't sure if he should mention that when he said "crazy enough", he meant really crazy. However, he was not going to give her reasons to back up, he still could not believe she had accepted. Finally he started the car and embarked on the road with some anxiety. He knew exactly where to find him.

"Oh, believe me, you are going to love him."

* * *

"A bar ?" The sarcastic tone of Elena did not touch Alaric, standing beside the car. _Bree's bar_. This bar was a bit lost, in the middle of the countryside, the nearest town must be a few tens of kilometres. That said it was a very used road, and the bar seemed fairly alive.

"Where else ?", he said, more to himself than to Elena.

"How can you be sure he's gonna be here ? We're in the middle of the afternoon."

"Cause bar are his favourites places?" Elena looked around half expecting to see him appear before them and attack them. She wrapped her arms as to warm herself, an unpleasantly cold wind had risen, even though the night was not about to fall. Again she put her eyes on the building. It was a typical bar that you could be expected there. But there was something ... What a vampire could be doing in a bar in the middle of the day? This bar ?

"Come on, he's not really the patient one."

"What ? But you said he didn't kn-"

Alaric did not give her time to finish before moving to enter the bar. Elena rushed to follow him, and they went into the bar where a voice immediately welcomed them. It was the voice of the bartender, a beautiful woman with caramel skin and a warm smile. Elena felt the adrenaline invade her body as she looked frantically around the room for something, a clue to the presence of Stefan's brother.

"Excuse me ?"

Elena gasped when a woman suddenly came into their way. She started screaming and accused them of having blocked her car voluntarily. Elena stifled a laugh at her face turning red as Alaric seemed to have no interest in what she told him. He rolled his eyes and sent a mocking smile at Elena.

"I'm going to move the car. Wait for me." He leaned toward her. "Don't do anything stupid." At that time her stomach began to growl. She looked up shyly and Alaric gave her money with a smile on his lip. They had not stopped since they were gone and hunger began to be felt.

Elena sat on one of the chairs at the bar and ordered two hamburgers that, probably Bree, brought garnish of potatoes a few minutes later. She began to eat, but her stomach was knotted with anxiety. She did not know what to expect. What was he like? Her hand shook nervously the bracelet around her wrist. Alaric had given it to her before they left, it was filled with vervaine. _Try me_.

"Gladly"

Elena jumped of surprise and turned sharply to the right where the voice was coming from. Her heart was beating faster than it had beaten since a very long time, she was petrified. But her eyes only met an empty chair. However, she felt a presence at his left, a presence that wasn't there before.

"What the hell is wrong with you ? You're missing the actual good part", said man's voice, grabbing some fries on her plate. Elena had kept it for her guardian, not having the courage to eat it herself. Elena took a deep breath and start getting ready to shot down the man for his rudeness but when she turned around her breath was taken away by the man in front of her.

Her eyes first met the smile of the man in front of her, a confident and mocking smirk making him look terribly dangerous. Ebony hair fell all over his face contrasting with his white skin. But what really took Elena by surprise was his eyes. She had never seen eyes so bright. His eyes were talking to her. They were a blue crystal, and a glimmer of amusement habited them. But there was so much more, they seemed to burn with a flame she could not qualify. She even thought she had caught a glimmer of madness in his eyes. _Hatred? _Whether it was for his inhuman beauty or the aura that surrounded him, she knew she had found what they were looking for. Or rather, he had found her. He didn't really fit around there.

"Damon." She stated, almost proudly. She was not going to let herself down in front of him, she had to show immediately that she was not impressed. She was not a helpless human, no matter what he looks like.

He nodded enthusiastically. "I'm impressed." He laughed, a delightful sound she tried to ignore.

"You're being rude." She stared at him intensely to support her statements. But he just returned to her plate. The fact that Elena was well aware of the fact that vampires did not eat upset her a little more.

"Am I?" He shrugged, giving her an exaggerated innocent look before returning to his degustation. Elena couldn't believe that he was Stefan's brother. It only had been a few minutes but she could already see that they had nothing in common, physically or morally. She was maybe judging a little too fast, but she didn't think she was mistaken. She glared at him not really knowing what else to do.

He finally turned his eyes towards her and she was lost in it again. "So, what am I doing here Miss?"

Elena was about to replied something but she was interrupted by Alaric.

"I should have know the second I saw her," he exposed raising an eyebrow, but even with the disapproving tone you could see in his eyes that he was happy to find his friend.

"Yes you should", they looked at each other for a few seconds that seemed like an eternity to Elena before jumping into the arms of one another. It was a man hug, but a hug nonetheless, which was very surprising from Alaric. She slipped discretely on Damon's chair allowed them to sit next to each other. _Bad move_.

* * *

Elena's patience was decreasing as fast as the glasses of the two men to her sides. It was almost one hour since they had arrived at the bar, and they did not stopped drinking and talking about everything and nothing, even if she was sure that the discussion was far less innocent as it seemed. They seemed to talk with codes. She had rather not interfere and let Alaric deals with Damon, but he was apparently not ready to mention Jeremy.

Suddenly she slammed her hand on the counter attracting the attention of two men on her.

"Does 'Jeremy' remind something to you ?" She asked harshly to Alaric.

This one did not take offence and just sighed. Elena was too impatient, she did not understand that rushing will not lead them anywhere. Damon stared amused and not at all disturbed by the tone and accusing gaze of the girl. Which is why Elena turned at him with a daring look. There was something about him, she could not know what exactly but every time she plunged into his gaze she felt overwhelmed by the flood of emotion that reigned there.

They were still fixing each other when Alaric decided to interfere.

"We need your help"

"Obviously," he said, without releasing Elena's eyes.

Alaric explained quickly more or less their situation. Elena wondered if it was a good idea, after all, how could he be sure they could trust him?

"And why would I care about her brother?" He said, pointing to her. She snapped this one away from her and glared. He raised an eyebrow.

"Are you planning on convincing me like this?"

"Please Damon."

"This is suicide 'Ric. And I do not see what there is for me in it. "

"Is that all that matter? We are talking about the life of a teenager, my brother! " said Elena.

He raised his eyebrow again still not convinced.

The disappointment that invaded her body was recovered anger. She understood better why Stefan had never asked for help, and even why they didn't talk anymore. She jumped furiously from her chair to get out of the bar and put as much distance as she could between her and the vampire.

She took a breath of fresh air and exhaled, closing her eyes. When she opened them she saw Damon, a little further walking on the road. The night had fallen and it was quite dark, but she could see him clearly. He was leaving. _Bastard_. And what the hell? Was he going to walk to the next town on foot? Well, after all he was a vampire. And she didn't care. He turned suddenly and gave her a brilliant smile, raising his thumbs. Elena felt the fury invade her again. A car passed at the same time and he turned back to continue his walk.

When Elena realized what he was doing, events chained themselves. She went back inside to cross a vexed Alaric, who entrusted her with his stuff without her even asking anything before going to the restroom. She took the keys in his coat and ran to the car. She started it quickly and hit the road. She was going fast and no more than tens of minutes after, the road through a forest and she saw a figure lying in the middle of the road. _Bingo_.

She smiled to herself and stopped the car some meters away from the vampire. She got out and leaned on the door.

"I'm surrounded by vampires, do you really think I do not know your tricks?" She asked nonchalantly.

The vampire sighed dramatically and put his arms behind his head.

"Buzzkiller"

Silence invaded the stage for a few minutes.

"What do you want? I already say no"

"... I'm not sure."

He laughed.

"You must know I was looking for "eat", right? So now I'm very frustrated, so if you don't mind, could you leave before the next car arrives? " He asked hopefully. He looked at her and she could not help a chuckle to escape her.

"I do not feel like helping you either."

In a second he was right in front of her, his body a few inches from hers. Elena held her breath. Strangely she did not feel as scared as she was in the bar. If he wanted to hurt her, he had many opportunities to do so. And something in his eyes told her that he was still playing with her.

"I could just eat you"

"I don't think Alaric would like that"

"... Touché" He stamped his feet like a child who has been taking his toy away from him and he turned to walk away. She ran after him when she realized he had no intention of turning back. He said nothing and just continued walking. Why was she following him exactly ?

"What did you do to Stefan ?"

"Why do you assume I did something to Stefan ?"

She stayed silent. Not very long.

"Alaric is really disappointed you know"

"Why have I the feeling you are the most depressed of you both"

Well, at least she tried.

"Why won't you help us ?"

He paused, looking up annoyed. "Do you never stop talking?" She sent him a beaming smile in response.

"Why did they take you brother anyway?"

"For his mark. Purpose we do not know what to do They Want with it, we can only imagine ... "

"A mark?"

Elena did not believe that he would help but she could still discern a hint of interest in his voice. He had stopped walking and was frowning.

"He's a hunter."

He looked up and stared at her as if trying to discern the lie in her eyes.

"Hunters are all dead"

"Well, apparently not."

He seemed to consider the option for a few moments. He took a step closer to her. She could smell him, feel him, and she didn't even know how this was possible. She did not let go of his gaze.

"I'm not a good man ... Elena." The way he pronounced her name sent a chill through her body. "I'm a lunatic. I can be on your side one second and stabbed you in the back the second after. Literally. You do not want me on your crowd."

Elena was not scared by his little speech, even if somehow, she knew there was a part of true in what he said. "But we need you on our crowd."

Silence fell again between the two of them before she heard what she had wished to hear.

His face suddenly relaxed and he took her hand to shake it. "Count me in." And with that he went back to his walk, and this time she didn't followed him.

"What did make you change your mind ?" she called out at him. But he didn't answer and just laughed again before disappearing of her sight.

A voice inside her head keep repeating herself. _You are going to regret this_.

* * *

_"I'm sick of people doubting me"_


	3. Not this time

**AN: Sooo, here's the new chapter! I wanted to thank the readers and the reviews, it's nice to know someone liked it! I hope you're not going to be disappointed! And once again I'm sorry for the grammatical errors, it's like no matter how many times I corrected those chapters there is still half of them remaining. It's really frustratinnng. Don't hesitate to point the recurrant ones!  
**

**Well it has been a week, I hope you are going to like this one, tell me what you think about it. Enjoy! :)  
**

* * *

"So he told you he was in ? Nothing else ?"

They were once again standing beside Alaric's car waiting for Damon. It seems to Elena that they haven't moved since they left Mystic Falls. When Elena had been back from her little escape she had found a very, very pissed Alaric, and it's only after some arguments that they decided to take a room in the motel next to the bar. But overtaking by her victory she didn't realised that Damon hadn't say anything about meeting up somewhere and there they were, waiting for him to eventually show up.

"No, nothing else" she insisted, annoyed. This vampire was really getting on her nerves.

"Guess we are not going to wait all day. He is a vampire, if he wants to find us, he will", he assured her.

Elena sighed and get into the car. She should have know that he wasn't trustful, but she couldn't help being disappointed. She had just met him but it felt like they already met somewhere, and who knows if she would ever get the chance to see him again. Truth is, she was curious. She was dying of curiosity for him. All the things she had caught in his eyes could not be summarized by what he showed yesterday. It had been a long time since Elena felt something like this, and she wasn't ready to let it go.

She was about to put her bag on the back seat only to be scared to death by the presence of a man right behind her. She swore angrily clutching to her bag. He was lying all over the back seats, eyes closed and a smile playing on his lips. "How do you even get here?" But despite her frustration she was relieved to see him here but she wasn't sure what to say to him now.

She turned her head to look at him before throwing her bag on him with all the strength she had, even if she knew she couldn't hurt him, he was sure not going to like the smell of it.

"Awww". He took the bag away from him and gave her a consternating look who only made her smirk. At this moment Alaric finally took his place. They were both silent for a minute, waiting for Alaric to realised Damon's presence. He turned on the car and this is only when he looked at the mirror that he jumped of surprise.

"Seriously ?" He said putting a hand on his heart.

Elena and Damon looked at each other and Alaric glared at them, starting the car to take the road they had abandoned the day before. Elena suspiciously glanced at Damon. So he did come. But there was still something strange about how easily he had been to convince him after his first refusal, and Elena was determined to find why he was suddenly being so nice.

"So, how long before we arrived ?"

"A few hours."

"You really think none of them will be here ?" Elena asked. Alaric was convinced that they all have ran since a long time and were not stupid enough to stay there. She was not that sure about that. They were powerful enough to not fear anyone.

"They have no reasons to stay around. They're always moving."

"We don't find the Originals, they find you." Damon intervened as if he was reciting an old story. Elena turned back to him. _Yeah, they already heard that_. "If you want to find your brother, you better find something to make them want to find you."

"Thanks for the tip Damon. That's exactly what we are doing."

He rolled his eyes and leaned back on his first position obviously annoyed. Elena wondered what could have separated Stefan and his brother. He was clearly representing everything Stefan despised but he didn't seemed that bad to her. A little cocky, not the helping guy …

"Is that why you absolutely wanted me here ?" he asked to Elena who realised she was still staring at him. She leaned toward Alaric.

"I thought you say I would like him", she said in a whisper, a teasing smile on her face.

She caught Damon opening lazily his eyes to gaze at her, he send her a splendid smile. Elena decided that he was definitely weird.

The trip passed pretty quickly, none of them said another word until they were a few meters away. Alaric stopped the car further away, on another street. Elena could feel her heart beating madly in her chest. She was febrile and she looked expectingly to Alaric.

"What do we do now ?", she whispers as if she was afraid somebody would hear them.

Alaric and Damon exchanged a look. "I will go first" he announced. "To clean the area" he added miming his sentence with his hands. He got out of the car before she could react. She looked everywhere in panic.

"We can't let him go alone." she reproached. And to her surprise Alaric caught his own artillery and get out of the car too. She stayed in the car a few second wondering what the hell had just happened. Did he expects her to follow him ? Or to stay in the car ? She didn't know what to do at all but before she could think twice about it she grabbed her bag and walked as fast as she could to the manor.

It was even more impressive in real. The house was gigantic and seemed to crush everything around. Elena felt like she was a little thing waiting to be carried away. She carefully approached the front door, at the image of the manor. She stood still. So what now ? _Smart girl._

There was no sound, no sign of life, nothing. She felt completely alone. She was afraid something might happened to Alaric and Damon, so she did probably the most stupid thing she had ever even think about in her entire life. She knocked at the door.

And she was taken completely aback when somebody opened the door. _Someone actually fucking opened the door. _And this someone's gaze immediately drifted to her bag.

"Hi?" tried Elena.

* * *

Elena was sitting on an old couch with a cup of tea in her hands feeling totally stupid. The man in front of her on the opposite couch was looking at her with a false kind expression. He was clearly playing with her. Well, she was going to play along, if she could gain time. Everything about this manor was … mystic. The inside was even more mysterious, Elena felt as if she was getting back to the 50's. But it was obviously as old as them.

"So, why do you come here exactly ?"

Elena's attention turned back to the man. He was tall and muscular, he had blond curls falling on his shoulder and green piercing eyes. He was handsome, but if he intended to keep this cocky smile on his face he should meet Damon. _Oh God, he can never know she just thought that._

"I … was walking and … I got very intrigued by this place" she said trying to smile. _You can stop here Judgy_. That's the best she came up with.

"Oh yeah, that happens all the time" he replied with the same creepy smile. Damn those hybrids.

She suddenly stood up but he was on her in a second. She grabbed a vervain bottle she had in her pocket and throw it at him. He screamed cupping his face into his hand. She took the opportunity to run as fast as she could in the corridor. It was a labyrinth, she had the impression to take the same corner everywhere. She just needed to find something to stake him before he -

"Look who I found", whispered a voice behind her. She grabbed the lamp on the desk beside her and smashed it on his face. He didn't seems to be even a little confused by it and just kept looking at her. He raised his hands to snap but before he could do anything a grunt came out of his mouth as blood splashed on his face. Elena took a step back as his body fell on the ground to reveal Damon, fangs out and a heart inside his hand.

"Look what I found" he imitated.

Elena was torn between the gratefulness and the horror. His mouth was covered by blood and his fangs were out, meaning he found someone in the house too. She spanned the corpse murmuring a thank you and walked past Damon to explore the place. They had to be fast, god knows how many more of them were here.

"Where is Alaric ?", she asked him. He throw the heart at his feet and followed her gracefully.

"He's checking the bedrooms."

They continued until they arrived into a big space. It looked like a library. There was bookshelves on every wall and dust was reigning everywhere. Elena turned on herself in amazement, she always adored to read as much as she wanted to write and her breath was taken away by the room. Damon not concerned at all went to the desk in the middle. It was a big old desk which had not been used for a very long time. He sat on the chair behind it and played with it.

Elena looked at him reproachingly with a I-can't-believe-it look and started searching. For what she didn't knew, but she was not getting out before she got something.

Damon got interested in a map on the desk. "I think I have an idea of where Klaus is." Elena quickly made her way to Damon and looked at what he found.

"Oh …" she looked at Damon. "It's the full moon in two days."

"And what did he does on full moons ?" he asked not really expecting an answer.

A loud noise cut short their thinking. They looked at each other before Damon broke a part of the chair to give her something to defend herself with and disappeared of her view. She put the map in her pocket and rush to the door before carefully making her way where she had heard the sound. Once again she was alone.

She finally arrived in another room. Alaric was standing in the middle of this one, arms up and looking at something, or someone, she couldn't see from there. She instantly knew she was spotted, after all they all have a super hearing. Somebody pushed in the back to the middle next to Alaric and she realised they were surrounded by hybrids. They must be around ten. She raised her arms too and looked around for a hint of Damon, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Guess staying in the car was out of option ?" Alaric asked between his teeth. Elena didn't bother to respond. Their only hope right now was Damon. The two main hybrids whispered something at each other before turning back to them. They were armed with crossbows and were glaring at them when suddenly Alaric talked.

"If I were you I would let us go. We are not alone, and you don't stand a chance." He was bluffing. Well, they were desperate, so it made sense. The tension in the room was increasing. Obviously they weren't sure if they had the right to kill them or not but Elena didn't doubt they would not consider the thing twice.

The hybrid laughed followed by the other. "I would want to see that." He pointed the crossbow to Alaric, faking to engage it.

Suddenly one of them was knocked out by his own weapon and another was pierced by an arrow. "My pleasure" resonated a dark voice. Alaric pushed Elena to his right and screamed her to run before doing it himself the other way. But Elena didn't. She just stood still looking at Damon. There was something beautiful, stunning in him while he was murdering all the hybrids. He was graceful as much as he was crazy. She couldn't look away, it's like she was hypnotized by him.

Only one hybrid was still standing, and he was starting to step away. Killing him was not necessary, they could just let him go and ran outside. The atmosphere was heavy and time seemed to stop for an instant. A flash crossed Elena's eyes as she suddenly recognized the man. He was there when she was attacked, she remembered his cold gaze while he was breaking her mom's vase. Now he was just an afraid little thing begging for pity.

Damon was ready to send a scathing remark to the man before and killed him. But before he could even pronounced a word, the chest of the man was pierced by a stake and his skin cracked. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw Elena behind him. He would have never believed she had the guts to do something like this. And apparently neither did she.

Elena was still holding the bloody stake in her hand staring at the dead body in front of her. Her eyes were back to their emotionless state. His life could have been spare but she didn't felt ready for that. He was a monster. And she was done keeping those monsters that were ruining her life around. _Not this time_. Somehow she had felt a rush of adrenaline in her. _This one's mine_. She was trembling but nevertheless she let the stake go and looked at Damon. His eyes were still swirling from the fight and he was covered by blood.

_She is like me. _

He lower the crossbow and put it on his shoulder. He looked even more dangerous like this. "He's dead. Get over it." He wiped away the blood around his mouth.

"We should go." She had no desire to explain anything and she was feeling very tired.

Suddenly they heard footsteps coming their way. "Run!" groaned Damon and this time she followed the order and ran through the corridors of the manor. She didn't even know where she was running but if she stopped just one second to think she would be dead. She didn't felt the pain in her hips when she stumbled against a shelf or in her arms when she cut herself over a door handle. She finally arrived in front of a door leading outside. When she was about to open it a presence appeared a her side, she intended to scream but a hand smashed against her mouth forcing her to silence. She recognized Damon who threw himself outside with her, and in a few seconds she was back in Alaric car on the back seat.

Her heart was pounding and she was out of breath. It took her some time to recover from what had just happened. During this time Alaric had already started the car to flee.

"That was close" he remarked after a few minutes trying to lighten the mood.

And Damon started laughing. Not just a little laugh, like, he was really laughing. Elena looked at him in astonishment. She was still feeling very dizzy, and she didn't found the strength to scream at him. She leaned further into the seat. She really needed to sleep, she wasn't able to think about anything right know. Her phone vibrated in her jeans. She grabbed it and looked at the name on the screen. Stefan. If she didn't answered he was going to worry.

She send a warning glance to Damon, not willing to let Stefan know he was there, and picked up the phone.

"Hi Stefan". She tried to keep a voice straight.

"Hey Elena. I'm sorry, I was just calling to know if you were okay "

"Ye-Yeah, we're okay, why wouldn't we ?" she let a nervous laugh escaped her.

"Are you sure ? Your voice is shaking and I can hear you're breathless."

"..." Elena pursed her lips and ran a hand across her forehead. "It's nothing Stefan, we're okay, really. You don't have to worry."

"Sure ?"

Elena was going to answer when a hand grabbed the phone away from her. "No!" She jumped in the back of the car on Damon to get her phone back snatching a protest from Alaric.

"Give it back you idiot!"

"I don't think so" He kept her away without any efforts and stuck the phone to his ear. "Hi, baby bro!" He said in a seductive voice. Elena bit her lips.

"Oh no, they're okay, I'm here what could possibly happened to them ?" he asked excitingly with a childish smile on his face. He was enjoying this.

"Except this of course." he replied to something Stefan said.

"I think he wants to talk to you Alaric." He handed the phone to this one who was still driving, and now complaining. In a normal state Elena would have make a remark about the phone-driving but she was too depressed to say anything. She didn't listened to Alaric and Stefan's conversation and buried her face in her sweater ignoring Damon's proud face.

After a moment calm came back in the car and Alaric sent a sorry look at Elena deciding to skip the subject.

"So, do I keep on driving in no direction ?"

Elena contorted herself to get back on the front sit next to his guardian and showed him the map with the plan. She explained him briefly what they had concluded of it trying to forget about the disaster of Stefan's call.

"Elena, we can't go there. It would take the day and sleeping in a forest full of vampires is out of question. And we're not even sure they are here."

"There will be no hybrids, this is why he's doing it in the first place, to create them."

"Oh, werewolves, this is better."

"They are not going to be able to do anything until full moon. We just have to be out of there before this night." pleaded Elena.

Alaric shared a glance with Damon.

"You don't have to go Alaric, I won't blame you ..."

"I don't get it Elena … do you want to end up like Jenna ?"

Elena sent him an angry look. The memory of her aunt and particularly of her death was still very fresh for all of them. Elena would give anything to bring her back, even more that she felt incredibly responsible for what happened to her. She wasn't supposed to be part of this, she wasn't supposed to ever know about vampires, all supernatural creatures. She had believed so fiercely that she would never have get involved in all this mess.

Damon mumbled something behind about not having signed up for family disputes.

"I found something too", Alaric finally added after a few seconds. "I didn't have the time to read it completely. There was a sort of journal with drawings in what I think was Elijah's room. You remember what Jeremy said about his mark ?"

Jeremy had told them it was like a tattoo on his skin. Long black branches surrounding his wrist, they had grown after he killed a vampire.

"I think it was that. The notes besides were talking about a map. I think this is it Elena, his mark is leading somewhere. And Klaus apparently wants new hybrids before going there."

Why would he searches for anything ? He was the most powerful creature of the planet.

"What could he possibly wants ?"

Alaric shrugged eyes fixed on the road.

"I was thinking we could go to Elijah's precedent apartment. He may still be here, and of all of them, he is probably the one who would help us." He interrogated silently Damon.

"Probably" agreed this one his gaze sliding toward Elena.

"And where is that ?" She forced herself to ask.

"Chicago."

"What ?! But we're not even sure there is something there, we know where Klaus is." she objected.

"We don't know for sure Klaus is there either. This is smarter and safer."

She couldn't believe it. They knew exactly where Klaus was, and he wanted to drive to Chicago without any assurance that they were going to find something. It was a considerable loss of time. They didn't have time, Jeremy didn't. She tried to find help looking at Damon but he wasn't looking back anymore. He was staring outside the window. She seethed with rage as she forced an hypocrite smile on her face and obediently leaned into her seat.

They knew it was not going to be easy. Chasing Originals was crazy, it could take months. But until know the safest way had never really been the better. She had decided. She was going to go into this forest to met Klaus, and she didn't need Alaric for that. Splitting up would be way more efficient.

"I'm hungry, could we stopped ?"

"Yeah of course, I will stop next town."

Behind her she felt Damon's burning gaze on her. She could already tell he knew exactly what she had the intention to do. ___Good__._

* * *

"_It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog._"


	4. Tainted Love

**AN: Enjoy. Hope you will like it :) **

**The songs on this chapter have been taken completely randomly, to the feeling, I heard it and imagined the scene.  
**

* * *

"What you're doing is stupid." Damon stated at her side. She turned to look at him. She was standing near a bus area looking for a back up plan. She wasn't sure how she was going to get where she wanted to be in time, certainly not alone, but somehow she had knew the moment he looked at her that he was going to follow her. And there he was, in all his glory. He had left his black jacket and was only wearing a blue T-shirt and a black jeans on him, and his skin was whiter than ever against the burning sun above their head. He could be compared with a top model, and she could only imagine his popularity if he was to be one.

"Perhaps, but I'm doing it anyway." She said passing right by him, making him turned around to follow her. People were staring at them. At him more precisely, and he was obviously aware of that as he smiled brilliantly to any girl passing there .

"What do you want ?" She asked as if she did no already knew the answer.

"Well, your plan is stupid, but it seemed more fun than Alaric's."

"So you're not here to bring me back to him?"

"Nope."

He smiled to her with that precious smile and gaze of him. The one that makes her wants to snatch it off of his face, the one that makes her look like a total idiot. She raised an eyebrow. He was impossible to read. One second he was a jerk, then he was funny, then he was dangerous and back to mocking. His personality was so much extrovert compare to Stefan's calm and discrete temper. But she felt like she could deal with that.

She was walking in the direction of a station, she wasn't sure of what she was doing but she had to show she was capable of surviving by herself. Besides, she needed to get the hell out of this town before Alaric find them. After he had taken them to this peaceful town, they stopped to eat and she took advantage of their absence to escape quietly, again. She was not proud of abandoning him literally for the second time. At least he would probably be reassured, 'cause as she had expected Damon got to her easily.

A vision of the night of their meeting played trough her mind as he followed her closely. She felt confidence invade her. It's not like she was walking with one the most gorgeous creature of the planet.

"Where are we going ?"

"We're going to get Jeremy." she replied with confidence.

"Yeah, I kind of got that part." he said rolling his eyes.

"A bus is going to pass, it's gonna take us close enough to get to those woods before the end of the day." she explained proud of her plan. She wasn't that bad in making plans after all, even if most of them always tended to end miserably. She hoped she had correctly read the board.

"The bus ? Come on, you can't be serious."

She fixed him and a smirk grew on her face.

"Oh wait, is this not precious enough for you, Mr. Salvatore ?" She said defiantly a playing smile on her face. Thinking about this she had never saw one of them in public transport. Mystic Falls was not a big city, it could explain why. She gigled inside at the idea, sometimes she forgot that they were still like them in some ways. And there was no way Damon was getting out of this.

Only she saw something in his eyes immediately after she uttered the sentence which left her speechless. A glimmer of realisation in his eyes, they darkened and a life suddenly seemed to overwhelm him. She instantly understood she had put her finger on something. But it only lasted a second, the smile came back on his face and he took a step closer.

"Everything is not precious enough for me."

She rolled her eyes and chuckled tapping gently on his shoulder driving him away in the same time.

"Come on cocky boy, let's mix up with normal people!" she exclaimed as the bus arrived.

"I rather walk, I will join you where its gonna leave you."

"What ? Wait no, it doesn't change anything. Don't be a jackass and get in here with me."

She did not know where she found the courage to act so casual around him, when the little she had heard about him was not quit positive. Somehow, she wasn't afraid of him. He seemed to think about it for a minute then he smirked and followed her into the bus. He leaned over to whisper something to the bus driver and sat next to Elena at the end of it. She rested her head on her seat and looked out the window as the machine started.

"Do you think he is going to get angry ?"

"Of course."

She turned her head to his side. "You leave when he wasn't looking too ?"

"Yep." She smiled. Poor Alaric. But she knew he was going to understand and follow his plans, he was far from stupid and reckless. She felt terribly bad for leaving him there but she knew it was the right decision to take.

Damon slumped in his seat and his arms brushed hers triggering a shiver through Elena's body, but once again she didn't pay attention to it and stayed in place. She tried to remember what Stefan told her about Damon. He clearly seemed less caring than his brother, but a monster ? Someone he wouldn't even want to talk about ? She didn't see anything of that in him. His fight against the hybrids wasn't enough to scare her, she had seen far worse. And Stefan wasn't knew to be the most healthy vampire of the earth, as much as she loves him.

"Stop thinking, you are going to hurt yourself." Damon said looking right into her eyes taking her by surprise. She did not look away and only analysed his face and his eyes again.

"I was thinking about Stefan."

"I didn't say I was interested by what you were thinking."

"I was thinking about both of you. Your relationship." She replied imperturbable.

"Again? It's not because I followed you that we have to become emotional and all towards each other. " He added. She smiled again and with her gaze still deeply fixed on his she continued.

"You two were close one day, right?"

She could see pain behind the veil in his eyes everytime she mentioned his brother. Whatever happened between the two of them they were clearly still caring for each other.

"We were." he simply answered. "We don't get along anymore." His voice was lighter than usual, distant as if he was talking more to himself than to her. Then suddenly he found back his assurance and torn his gaze away from her.

"So, he's your boyfriend ?"

"No. And it is not of your business." She blushed and looked outside. She heard his laugh, his beautiful and crystalline laugh behind her. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. Slowly, she felt herself drew into sleep no matter how hard she tried to resist. His body ached as if her muscles finally remembered that she had not the strength of her supernatural friends. Maybe it didn't worse the fight.

She heard Damon moving behind her but didn't turned to look at what he was doing, instead she let herself fall into a dreamy world, a world where her life was peaceful, where his brother was not hold prisoner by a psychopath, where her aunt hadn't die sacrificed by this same psycho, and especially, where her parents were still here.

* * *

Elena's eyes were fluttering as she slowly woke up from her deep sleep. She jumped on her seat as she realised she had fallen asleep, afraid she had missed something. It had gotten hotter in the bus. She looked around her, apart from them there was only a few people in here. Most of them older. Her eyes stopped on a girl. She could bet she had seen her somewhere. She grimaced and gave up. She put off her jacket and took up her hair to make a ponytail, sighing slowly.

Then, she turned around only to see Damon, headphones into his ears and a pink I-Pod in his hands, he was moving with the rhythm of a song she couldn't hear.

"Where the hell did you get that ?" She reproached.

He looked up at her, pretending to just remark she was awake. He raised his hands."I did not stole this. She gave it voluntarily to me." And he understated this with a wink. Elena closed her eyes and put a hand on her forehead. So that's what he was doing with that teenage girl when they first got off Alaric's car. She glared at him expecting some regrets from him, before realised it was probably like asking Caroline to stop talking. He smiled seductively and offered her a headset.

"No thanks" she said dryly pushing the thing away.

He sighed and offered it again with an annoying look on his face. "You need to lose up a little. Now I know what my brother likes about you." She did not make any remark about his sentence but kept in mind the overtone of it. Her ego was a little hurt by the remark. She knew she has not been the best company in the world for a long time now, but she still remembered the girl she used to be. Funny and joyful. Sometimes she missed that girl.

She examined Damon and finally gave up, putting the headset in her ear. "I hope she has good taste. What is that ?"

"Are you telling me I know Miley Cyrus and you do not?"

She looked at him innocently and shrugged.

"Then you're better off" he said before turning off the song.

He let the playlist go along randomly. They were both silent waiting for the next song to play, gazing into each other's eyes in the same time.

Elena's eyes widened "Disney ? Oh no, no." She quickly took the I-Pod to change the music.

"Don't tell me you don't like Disney."

"I don't.

"Then how did you recognize the music?" She pressed her lips together resisting the urge to slap him. Okay, maybe she did love them. But it makes her too damn nostalgic. _Wait. _

"What about you?" A picture of Damon watching Cendrillon at the TV crossed her mind.

He ignored her and took it back trying to play another song. She sent him a fake smile. He frowned, but when it started he laughed it out. Elena tried to stop herself but she failed miserably as she started laughing to.

_Oh, I just wanna take you anywhere that you like  
We could go out any day, any night  
Baby, I'll take you there, take you there  
Baby, I'll take you there, yeah _

"She sure have good taste."

"Well, you know them."

She laughed again and was about to change the song but Damon prevented her to do so and started dancing in his seat imitating instruments with his hands. She could not help but admire the way his muscles tensed, and the expressions of his face while his hair were falling all over it, and the sound of his laugh.

She was widely grinning, she put her hands on his shoulder trying to stop him. "They are looking at you" she whispered referring to the other people in the bus who were for most of them returned and looking at them. A women probably just a little older was smiling, but for the older passengers he was apparently too lousy. Something inside her head told her that's exactly what he was looking for. The look on their face irritated her, and she missed the contemptuous look of the same girl she kept seeing.

"Who cares! Sing with me." She looked at him apprehensively, he was not going to sing now, was he ?

One of the old lady sent them a pure evil glare as the bus was arriving at his destination. It stopped at a firelight, what seemed to intensify her look, an done of Damon's move changed the song. _Tainted Love_ ? Damon let out a moan of appreciation, biting his lips. Of course, he had been there in this period of time, he actually lived the 80's. She smiled funnily, she could totally see him fit, she imagined him dancing in a famous nightclub monopolizing all eyes in the middle of the dance floor.

They both looked at each other and she knew he was thinking the exact same thing. He winked outrageously at her and she clapping her hand against her mouth biting her lips, closing her eyes. Her feet began to move uncontrollably to the beat of the music that filled her mind, following by her hands, and her head. She glanced at the public and it was enough for her. She cleared her mind, at this instant she decided to lose up for the first time since a very long time. Since Stefan was taken away and she had fall into depression. It was a wrong time, probably with a wrong person, but it had never felt so tempting. _Fuck those people._

_Sometimes I feel I've got to  
Run away I've got to  
Get away  
From the pain that you drive into the heart of me _

Damon turned high the sound of the music and began to sing very loudly, and yet to complete his perfect picture, he sang with a beautiful and sexy voice. They both got up and as he was walking back she followed him dancing. And it worked. Immediately they could hear their whispers, judgemental. But too bad for them, right now Elena did not care. She was dancing seductively while laughing following Damon's voice and what she could hear from where she was.

_Oh, tainted love  
Tainted love  
Now I know I've got to  
Run away I've got to  
Get away  
_

They laughed, sang, and danced in unison. Damon was obviously delighted by her initiative and they continued their show in front of the stunned couple of aged peole. Elena's hair imprisoned in her ponytail were floating around her, and the heat was raising to her head as her hips were moving rythmically. They were dancing closer and closer to skock them. She felt terribly good. She felt like here, with him she was free. He didn't knew her, she didn't really knew him, so there was no judging. He wasn't judging her for what she wasn't or what she wasn't anymore, he wasn't looking at her with those sad eyes and that painful expression.

_He doesn't care_. Every one else would be looking at her with reproach for having fun, especially while Jeremy was somewhere with Klaus, he did not care. And neither did she at this moment. The bus was not going to go slower if she choose to restrain herself, and nobody here would remember her or go repeat everything to everyone. The moment was too good to be lose.

"Don't touch me pleaase, I cannot stand the way you tease!" sang Damon moving his body in the same time.

_I love you though you hurt me so  
Now I'm going to pack my things and go  
Tainted love, tainted love_

The song slowly ended in the headphone and they stopped still laughing while in the same time the bus finally stopped at their arrest. They were pratically on one another, and Elena remarked that it doesn't felt incomfortable, or weird, not now at least. She was regaining her breath and took the opportunity to sent a satisfied smile to the grumpy pair before running outside with Damon.

"God I love this song" He said exitingly just behind her. He turned around and put her hands on his chest.

"What were you doing in the 80's?" she asked.

They were now standing outside, and Elena realised that fortunatly Damon had not forgotten the bags because she had completely. People were gathering and leaving the area, some still glancing at them. The bus has stopped before the town after, they were almost alone on the side of the road.

"I was dancing, and loving." He whispered in a dark and seductive voice. She just replied with a laugh.

"I knew you could be fun." He suddenly said. She fixed him with warm eyes.

"I used to be like this all the time." The euphory was fading away. But it didn't let place to her usual culpability and sadness, but to a certain peace.

"What happened ?"

"My parents died. Then pretty much everyone important in my life. Only my brother." Here we go, now she was confinding to him whereas she had met him the day before. What was it with this guy? She took a few steps away from him. Yes, she had see too many death since her parent's death. And she was constantly living in the fear that something would happen to the people she cared about. Jeremy, Stefan, Boonie, all her friends.

Seeing the look on Elena's face he asked, "What would you do for him?"

"Anything."

"Then he's going to be okay." he said softly .

"Are you trying to comfort me? How can you be sure?"

"You remind me of someone." There again, it was in his eyes. She was not sure it was supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing. But there was no sign of joke in his eyes, he was sincere and she felt her heart jumped in joy. She did not expect this from their meeting at the bar, but she actually likes him. He was everything she had always pretended she did not like, and everything she had wish to be in the same time.

"Is that all?"

He smiled enigmaticaly at her and looked at the woods. She didn't asked for more and simply followed his gaze. It was not really where Klaus has been settling but they could be there by tomorow. Here, she lose the confidence she had won all day. What if they did not get there in time? And what would they do if they got attacked? Maybe she had been stupid to think it was a good idea, run away with a total stranger and threw herself into a death trap.

Suddenly she caught the girl from the bus, further away on the other side of the road, the eyes fixed on them, she wasn't even hiding now. She nodded to Damon in direction of the girl, but before he even get the time to turn, the girl turned around and disappeared in the woods behind her. Elena let out a cy of suprise attracting Damon's interrogative look on her. She didn't think twice before rushing behind her, even if something was telling her maybe she shouldnt.

She threw herself in the forest, running as fast as she could. She stopped out of breath, looking madly around her. She felt Damon passing right by her and continue his way. She followed him, walking, there was no chance she would ever catch them. After a few agonizing minutes, she caught Damon a little further, he was looking at something on the ground with a mix of hunger and questionning. Despite the fear of what she was going to see she made her way to him and slowly followed her gaze.

"What ... ?"

In front of them was lying a slaughtered deer, drained of all it's blood, and it was fresh. Elena was trembling. _She had seen worst_, she kept on repeating to herself. But for a reason she couldn't understand this view casted a cold in her body. She bit her lips anxiously. If the girl that were following them did this it couldn't be good. A crack made them turned around quickly; looking around. After a moment she looked up at Damon.

"What does this mean ?" she asked cautiously.

He replied with a surprisingly light voice, still analysing the area.

"This, means that _we're not alone_."

* * *

_"We only got one liberty. The liberty to fight for it."_


	5. Not so rare

**AN: Thank you for the reviews, it's always encouraging, I really hope you're not going to be disappointed :D**

**And I will never be sorry enough for all the grammatical errors! This chapter took a little more time to be written, because I have been completely overcharged by school! Hope you will enjoy! xx  
**

* * *

Elena groaned angrily as a branch smashed in her face. Her mood did not improved when she tripped on rock and fell hard on the ground, covering herself with mud by trying to ease the fall. Her moves were too shaky, too precipated, but she could not resigned herself to calm down. She was angry. Angry at herself, and at this instant, pretty much at the world.

She stood up quickly, trying to ignore Damon's laugh. She rubbed her clothes putting them in place and glared at him, wishing this look would kill him. He had taken surprisingly well the idea that Klaus was "waiting for them", especially for someone who did not want to go on a "suicide mission" at first. She could'nt help but feel that he was hiding something from her.

"Why are you here?" she suddenly screamed at him.

He turned at her, raising an eyebrow. He was probably thinking she was crazy by now, she was kind of hysteric.

"What made you change your mind ?"

"Why does it suddenly matter?"

"Tell me now."

She took a few steps closer to him until her body was inches from his, and she plunged her gaze into his eyes. But she immediately regretted it. At this game she had no chance to win, she could not bear the storm in his eyes, as he was suddenly even more closer to her. She could feel his cold breath on her skin and her traitorous hands shake.

"I don't take orders." he said dangerously, and she heard clearly the unsaid threat behind it. This man was a real lunatic. _You're the one saying this right now_. The two of them were standing in front of each other, probably too close, tension floating around them.

Elena finally gave up, she sighed in defeat and sat on a tree stump, putting her head into her hands as her eyes filled with water. It was one of the most persistent figure of the new Elena she hated so much. She was laughing a second, determined the other, now she was crying. Damon hesitantly sat behind her, his back on her back.

"I think you're bi-polar."

Elena laughed bitterly, still hiding her face in her head.

"I warned you. You did not wanted me with you."

"So you really are hiding something?" She felt tears in her eyes again. She was really on nerves. She was stuck with god only knows who, walking right to her biggest enemy. How could she ever get Jeremy back ? She just wanted to sleep now. She was overwhelmed by too much emotions right now, she did not even know how she was still here.

She raised her head, and looked determinely away as she wiped away the mud that was still on the back of her hand. She did not want Damon to go but he wasn't telling her everything. At first she did not mind what were his reasons as long as he didn't interfer with her plan, but she had been screwed over too many times and she had too much to lose.

"Do you trust me?" he suddenly asked.

He just made very clear that he was hiding something, something that could be crucial to her and her brother, but still, he did not feel insecure to be here with him.

"No." she answered sharply.

He changed his position, and she followed his moves such as they were now sitting side to side. Damon leaned towards Elena and added while shrugging his shoulders "Neither do I."

Elena looked up at him with an offended look. He didn't trust her ? She didn't make anything to make him worried about her. People always trust Elena. She was about to protest but he did not let her the time to do so.

"I can only tell you I don't have any intentions with your brother."

She examined him. She was taking the bad habit to look into his eyes everytime she could, and each time she found it harder to left them. She could feel his eyes were telling a story but she was not successful in reading it. They were fascinating.

"I just said I did not trust you."

"Do as you wish. I'm going anyway now, so I take back what I said. You're better with me than alone."

She was going to kill Alaric next time she sees him. Why did he have to involve Damon in all of this ? Well, on the other hand she was the only one who put herself in that position.

"Do you even think it's still a good idea to go ?", she said.

"You decided to come here."

"It's not the question." They were whispering to each other, clearly conscient that if Klaus wanted to here their conversation, it wouldn't change anything.

"I think it's too late to walk away. But if you knew me, you would take that as an invitation to reverse." He said mimicking his words, a smile on his face.

Elena smiled back at is when she realised their proximity was not natural.

"We still have an advantage." he said. But she had stopped listenning. Her eyes fell slowly in his lips as he was talking. _God, how could he be so hot ?_ She shook her head and detached her gaze from his lips to meet his, playful and self-sufficient ones.

"What is it ?" she asked, her voice slightly trembling.

"Are you sure you're still interested?" he whispered raising an eyebrow at her. She poked him, trying to hide her blushing cheeks.

"She probably doesn't know who I am." And by who he was, she understood clearly he was talking about _what_ he was. However it seemed uncertain to her that Klaus wouldn't know about Damon. Tens of years with Stefan and he wouldn't know he had a brother ? Besides, Klaus knew everything about everyone.

"Klaus could know."

"He could. But he is not the one who came to spy on us, is he ?" It was true. If this girl did not know who he was then, Klaus wouldn't know. She was not an idiot, they were not as strong as Klaus, but that doesn't mean they could not be smarter. She suddenly realized that Damon had not denied the fact that Klaus could somehow recognized him.

"Did you ever met an Original ?"she asked him, trying to look as innocent as she could.

He glanced at her with a suspicious look before replying, "Yep."

"Elijah?"

"I guess this one is coming from Alaric" he said playfully.

"I'm not getting anything from you right now, am I ?"

"Nope."

She sighed and turned around. The night was starting to fall but they coul easily continue for an hour. It wasn't as if they had anything else to do. She stood up, sighing heavily.

"We should continue." she said.

She grabbed her bottle of water and drunk it thinking about a plan when they would get to their destination. She used the water to wash her hands, and this is when she noted she hadn't heard any comments from Damon. _That's odd._ She turned around ready to tease him but there was no one anymore behind her. She looked everywhere around her but she was alone.

"Damon?" He could not have let her here alone. He couldn't. She was starting to panick a little when she heard a gunshot resounded away. She quickly grabbed her stuff and ran to the direction of it. What the hell was happening ?

Suddenly she collided with a body and was pushed hard on the ground. When she raised her head she saw a black man standing in front of her, but he wasn't looking at her, he was looking right in front of him with a murderous glare and an even more murderous weapon into his hands. Elena's eyes widened as she realised from where the gunshot had come. He finally seemed to relax and took a glance at her, she did not dare to make a move but his eyes softened.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to ... you know. You shouldn't stay here, there is bad things hanging out there. Go." He said. _Is he talking about Damon_? She felt her muscles tense, at least it means he had not been killed. This man apparently did not realised she was with the "bad things" here. She decided it was more safe to go away as he said, Damon would just have to ran.

Simple. So of course it did not happen that way.

Damon appeared and in a few seconds him and the other were figthing hard. The man's force was not natural. He was tall and very muscular but still, he should not be able to avoid or stop Damon's vampire strenght. Something was wrong. _Not so rare._

"Damon, stop!" she screamed at him, attracting the attention of both of them. The hunter took advantage of the distraction to stab Damon with a stake. Elena saw him trying to reached his gun, probably full of wooded balls as Damon was pulling the arrow out, she grabbed the first thing she touched in her bag and throw it at the unknown one.

Damon used his vampire skills to get away from the vervain bomb. The other had not been harmed by it but it had been enough to disorient him and leave enough time to Damon the to get back at him, with the advantage that time.

"Don't kill him! He's a hunter!"

He looked at her as the other was trying to crawl out of his grip.

"He shot me!" he complained. Elena glared at him and he rolled his eyes in response. The blond man spit on the ground contemptuously. So what now ? Damon was staring at her and she suddenly realised what he was waiting for. If he couldn't kill him he expected her to do it herself. She breathed heavily. It couldn't be a coincidence.

"What are you doing here ?" she tried to ask, but he laughed provoking Damon to kick him on the back. This one shot her a glance trying to know what she was doing. It was clearly not his thing to talk with people before doing anything you could regret after.

"Are you here for Klaus ? Or the other hunter, Jeremy ? Or something like that ? Because we're here for that too." She had the impression to make absolutely no sense. She should have take persuasion lesson from Stefan or Alaric.

"Elena" started Damon.

"How do you know about that ? Klaus never talked to his "slaves", he said with a grave voice. Elena noticed the disgust in his statements.

"He is my brother" she replied hopefully.

"Yeah, and this one is your father ?" he said looking at Damon.

"Ugh" Damon grimaced at the idea and let go of him pushing him away. This one fell to the ground and put a hand around his neck as to make sure it was still in place. Elena walked to Damon and took his arms between her hands, not really sure if she was trying to calm him or her.

The hunter stood up, looking scornfully at them but he wasn't making any attempt to attack them. He must have realised that if they were with Klaus they wouldn't be just looking at him.

"I just want my friend back. And eventually the other one. Klaus took her." He announced defiantly. Elena tried to smile a little to make him a little more trustful but he only glared back.

"Maybe, you could help us" Damon was the first to react, he turned abruptly to her incomprehension and accusation all over his face. She could read that he was trying hard to retained himself from objecting. She looked back at the hunter shrugging. The other seemed more amused by his effect than anything else.

"Why would I ever help you ?" he replied his eyes fixed on Damon.

"We both want to get to someone. It could be easier." He raised en eyebrow at her. She wasn't sure what she was proposing, especially to a men who tried to kill Damon a few minutes ago, but now she did not know how any situation could be worse than this one.

"And what are the two of you going to do anyway? "

Elena opened her mouth to replied but realised she had no answer to this. She bit her lips and crossed her arms. She heard Damon chuckling at her side. She knew she could always count on him to support her in awkward situation.

"We … should probably think about that."

Silence fell on them. They were all examining each other.

"My name is Connor. If you ever, think about something, let me know." He said in a mocking tone, before turning away. Neither Damon or Elena reacted, they were too busy trying to understand what just happened. Elena's eyes were wide as Damon was nodding in approval.

"Did he just .. left ?" she said trying to sound the more neutral possible. Let me know ? How the hell are they supposed to let him know ? Were they supposed to think he was going to help them or not ? She hated all of those arrogant type of person, she did not need him, they were going to make their way alone. She glanced at Damon. _Okay, maybe not all. _She was a little worried about him causing trouble again. _He is here for someone too. _But then why did he just go without anything else than a let me know ? Besides he didn't seemed like the kind of guy convinced so easily._  
_

"Are you okay?"

"Aw I'm fine. But I would be better if I was able to rip his head off" he answered with a weird smile on his face.

She chuckled. Damon looked good with blood on him. "I thought hunters were supposed to be extremely rare?"

"How do you think I react when of all the person on the planet, my brother must be one of them, when I found myself surrounded by vampires."

He laughed and she smile before realising they had left all their stuff god know where.

"I will get them back" he said as if he was reading into her mind. Was she that easy to read ?

"No, it could be dangerous, this guy could be waiting for you."

"Are you worrying about me ?" he asked leaning into her.

She ignored him, and put her hands on her hips. She couldn't let him go alone anywhere, she needed him and anyway she did not wanted him hurt. But if going to Klaus was risky, going without protection was even worse. Besides, she was starting to feel hungry.

"I can propose you something, but I'm not sure you're going to like it."

She turned to him with a frustrating face. "How did you do that ?" she asked accusingly.

"What are you talking about ?"

"You read mind ? Is this a vampire thing ? Cause I'm pretty sure none of those I know can do that."

"Cause we can't … Your stomach was growling."

Elena proudly torn her gaze away from his. She was getting completely crazy in this forest. She just wanted to get over with this, go back home with her brother.

"What do we do ?" she asked hoping Damon would have a better idea that all she could think of.

"I think you're tired, and that we should stop here."

She looked around her. Here ? Thinking about it no matter where they stopped it was going to look like that.

"Maybe we should walk a little … I'm not comfortable staying where he knows we are."

"Technically, he will knows where we are no matter where … we are."

"Very smart" She send him a fake smile before turning around and stubbornly walking away. She find herself thinking of all her friends. She wasn't even sure what was the last thing she had say to them. Probably nothing. Who knows if she was ever going to see them again ? She was regretting not saying to them how sorry she was, saying to Boonie how much she loved her grumpy side, how much she misses Caroline's gossips, how much she cherished Matt's sincerity, how much she loved Stefan no matter what happened.

She made herself the promise that things will change when she get back. If she does. She let herself look at Damon, walking right behind her and she felt a gentle smile spread on her face. She was not sure what he was still doing here, but he was.

* * *

Night had fell on them more quickly than she had expected. They were both sitting on the ground around a fire. No matter how hard she tried to convince him fire was a stupid idea she realised she had finally found someone more stubborn than her. Flames were dancing on his face as he was staring at her wearing an arrogant smile. Actually, she was pretty sure she was making the same face right know.

"What do you know about hunters, exactly ?"

"They hunt vampires ?"

She raised an eyebrow as her smile stretched on her face. He was not capable of being serious for five minutes.

"I saved you earlier." she reminded him.

"I know" he whispered.

"You still don't trust me?"

He shrugged with a playing smile.

"Okay, if you don't want to talk about this, can you tell me more about Stefan?" She couldn't help the curiosity

There was this weird thing between the two of them. They were examining each other with no shame of being caught. They were not talking, just looking at each other, daring the other to say a word. which glowed in her, she wanted nothing more than to chip his shell. She was both afraid and impatient about what she could discover. What scared her the most was to find out he has been playing them. _But he is friend with Alaric_.

"Do you know what they say about curiosity?"

"What bring you two apart ?"

He did not answer immediately but she was surprised when he did. "A girl." A girl ? Classic tragic brother story. She did not remind Stefan talking of any other girl exept ... Her eyes grew wide as her brain added two plus two. _Katherine_. _Katherine ?_ She got up fast and pointed a finger at him but nothing came out of her mouth. He stood up too not bothering by his revelation.

"Katherine ?" she checked.

He knew Katherine. _No, he did not just knew her, he must have been involved with her_. Every men Katherine knew had been involved with her. The same Katherine who looks exactly like her. The same egocentric and psycotic bitch who made her life a living hell for weeks. The absence of Damon in Stefan's vocabulary became suddenly very clear. And Katherine attitude too.

"Then you know that I'm – she …". She clenched her fists and she bit her lips. She was mad right now, she did not even know what to say with all the questions that were running through her mind. She started walking in circle without even realising it, and he only followed her moves. She closed her eyes. Did he helped her only because she looked like her? She put her hands on her forehead. _"You remind me of someone". _She remembered the look on his face when he said this.

"_Oh wait, is this not precious enough for you, Mr. Salvatore ?" She saw something in his eyes immediately after she uttered the sentence which left her speechless. A glimmer of realisation in his eyes, they darkened and a life suddenly seemed to overwhelm him. She instantly understood she had put her finger on something. But it only lasted a second, the smile came back on his face and he took a step closer._

She turned to him and detailing him as if she was seeing him for the first time. "She hurt you too ?" she whispered., more like an affirmation than a question. He finally looked at her, and she saw the eyes she had met the first time. Those fabulous sad and burning eyes. She hated this woman so much. She had hurt Stefan in so many ways and she could see in Damon's eyes she had done the same. But something was different about him. All the anger she had felt a second ago vanished when she crossed his gaze.

"Everything is not black and white, Elena."

That is not an answer. She took a few steps closer to him and could see he was trying hard to keep his perfect face in place. She knew this look. She had seen it too many times. Suddenly, on impulsion she finished the distance to encircling her arms around him. She rested her head on his shoulder. She was not sure why she had done this but she couldn't bear to see his face so torn, she rather see him mock her. And honestly, she did not see the point in fighting him now, she didn't have the courage to. First, the compassion, then the discussion.

She felt hesitants arms returning the embrace and at this instant she made herslef another promise. She wasn't going to let him down. She was going to help him, and at the end of the day, he was going to trust her enough to tell her everything.

_Count on Damon to break her new altruistic mood._

"If I had knew, I would have tell you that sooner"

She only laughed.

* * *

_"When people are vulnerable, they believe almost anything"_


	6. What a hell

**AN: New chapter posted, it took a little longer, I was a little sick and my last weeks were pretty exausting, but here it is. I hope you're all going to like it. As I have a week of holliday, the next chapter could be written more quickly, I hope so. I have to admit I spent a little less time correcting this chapter, so if you think it really needs to be, tell me and I will remake it!**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

"If you fall asleep here, don't count on me to wake you up." Elena quickly opened her eyes and stood straight looking angrily at the tree she was leaning on, then to Damon. She had spent an awful night, and she had slept so little that she wasn't even sure she had. Her night had been fulfilled with nightmares includind her baby bro, and fear when she realised Damon was nowhere around her when she woke up in the middle of the night.

He had told her he had gone hunting but she wasn't sure about that. She was so angry, who knows what could have happened to both of them ? After last night's revelation she had thought he was going to trust her now, or that he would be a little less mysterious about his activities, but she realised he was still keeping a certain distance. Not physically, but she could felt that sometime his mind was evading itself and letting no one enter.

So here she was, fighting against herself to not fall asleep, hungry as ever, closer and closer from Klaus. She stopped and took a deep breath. They haven't even talked of what they were going to do. She knew Klaus would not killed her right away, and maybe not after, but she knew if Damon was caught he would be dead, and the recent vengeance state in which he got she did not doubt he would kill her too. After they got her brother back, they will have to find a way to put a end at his long, long life.

"What is our plan ?" she asked.

He turned back at her and just shugged. He did not look even a little afraid, upset, or anything of what he should probably look right now, even being a vampire. Alaric may have not exagerated when he qualified him as "crazy".

"I had the dagger."

"Had ?"

She live up her arms to remind him their bags were somewhere in the woods, far away. And there was no way they were spliting up again. She suddenly realised she did not have the dagger but none of all the weapons Alaric made for her. She had no way of defending herself.

"No, no ..." she put her hands on her hips as she felt panick ran trough her.

"We look for you brother, we take him, and we go" Damon proposed as if it was evident.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure they will even offer us coffee" she replied bitterly.

"Well, we're lucky there is no door you could knock on here, right ?" Her ears became red under the shame and she grimaced. _Okay, that was really stupid_. But what Damon was saying was even more. There was no way they would just find Jeremy and flee. She wasn't even sure he was not messing with her, she was honestly to tired to play his games.

"Don't forget Elena, we are not alone here." he whispered. She undestood who he was reffering to immediately.

"What does that change ? He is not with us."

"Do we really need him to say he's with us ?"

She looked questioningly at him, raising her eyebrows.

"He may not be with us, but he is on our side. No matter what he does, it can only help us."he continued.

Elena didn't replied and just stared at him. He stared back as if she was stupid.

"What are you saying exactly ?" she sighed frustrated.

"I'm saying, he is going to help us, that he wants it or not."

"Wh-Why? I mean, why don't we just paired up?" He told them to call him if they have a plan, why couldn't they just try to enter in contact with him ? It would be so much more simple. Stefan always told her making friends of your enemies was the smartest thing to do facing an even more dangerous "thing".

"First, I'm not pairing with a guy who tries to kill me and will probably try again once he got his girlfriend back. Two, why do you think he left us like this ? He is hoping for the same."

Elena sighed. Why do people need to be so complicated ? It was not in her nature to trick people.

"Who says he was going to do anything today? We need to be out before tonight, remember ?"

"I'm saying it." He insisted. Elena was confused but she had to admit it was making kind of sense. If he had wanted help from them, he could have just ask and not tried to kill Damon in the first place. Connor wanted someone back as much as they did apparently. And he did not seemed like the stupid guy, he was not going to stay here for the full moon, and tomorrow, Klaus and all his crowd would be gone. So he needed to act … the exact same moment they needed to either.

"Are you saying we should use him ?" she reproached. Counting on Connor's actions, maybe his death to distract them or make a way for them was very sneaky. And there wasn't any way to know exactly what he was going to do or when.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Elena closed her eyes trying to think. Damon made a point but she still did not see how they could base anything on this, and it just felt so wrong. And she did not like the fact they did not discuss this, Damon seemed to have came up with this plan alone.

"Why didn't we talk about it ?"

"We are talking about it now."

"So if I don't want to follow this plan …"

"You go alone ?" His eyes were becoming darker and the tension around them was becoming heavier. Damon was not the guy to let himself be told what to do, or to be questionned. His personality was so lunatic, explosive. To be honnest, _she loved that_.

"You would leave me alone here ?" she asked defiantly taking a few step closer. She could smell him. She was not sure what was happening to her around him.

"In a heartbeat." he whispered back.

"Stefan-"

"I'm not Stefan."

She bit her lips. Okay, she had no chance to win this, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. No he was not like Stefan. She caugh herself trying to imagine what Stefan was doing, after the phone call he must have been so mad. Feeling the victory, a devilish smile spread on Damon's face.

"Let's get your brother back then." and she felt instantly the loss of his presence in front of her. In what did she get herself into?

_I'm coming Jeremy._

* * *

"Told ya" he smirked.

Connor was a few meters away from them but he wasn't able to see them from where he was standing. Klaus's camp was settle in the hollow of a kind of cliff. The landscape was weirdly adjusted but here, they could only thank Mother Nature for that. That Klaus had prefered this place to make his little experimentations wasn't surprising. Elena could see people sitting on rock or walking around. They were probably waiting for tonight. She tried to find her brother but her miserable view did not permit her to see disinctly the silhouettes.

"Being here doesn't mean he is waiting for us to make a move first." she replied stubbornly.

She turned back to Connor. He was hiding and looking around. Maybe Damon was right after all, he was waiting for them. She couldn't believe after all she's been trough, she was still that naïve. Her eyes took a glimpse of his bag and an idea poped in her head.

"Whatever. Stop talking so loudly, they could hear us."

Elena turned to him an insult on the mouth but managed to resist the urge to throw it at him. It's not like he had been the one making her talk. Damon was smiling predatorily and seemed happier than she had seen him since they met. It's like he was thrilled by the fight that was bound to happen, he couldn't stand in place, like a child. She poked him to make him look at her and nodded silently at Connor, pointing at his bag.

Damon squinted and seemed to be thinking about this, but after a moment he turned back to her and shook his head from right to left. _No_. He leaned into her with a smirk and brilliant eyes.

"You lose your weapeons. So you stay here, you watch, and you admire." He looked like a fox. Suddenly he stood up, not even bothering to hide and ran to the slope. Elena jupmed of surprise and her eyes immediately turned to Connor. As Damon had predicted, he quickly took his stuff and followed him. Elena lived a sort of flash-back of when she was left alone in the car, but this time, despite the precise order, she did not wasted a single minute and ran to where Connor was a few minutes before.

He had sorted his things while he was waiting, there was nothing more than sticks, but it was still better than nothing at all. She took a deep inspiration before heading to the rugged slope the two man had taken. It took her a few minutes to get to a safe spot where she was able to advance safely. She was pretty sure she hadn't be attacked because they were too preoccupied dealing with Damon and the hunter, the combinaisaion of her none-discretion and their super hearing was not really good.

She stopped when she hears talking, and movements caught her attention a little further. She took a few steps, and her eyes widened as culpability was starting to run through her. Connor was surrouding by what she supposed were hybrids or werewolfs, he was fighting like a lion but there was no doubt left about the end of it. As she was thinking this, he indeed end up being cruched to the ground, firmly immobilized by laughing men. She looked around her but there was no sign of Damon.

_He had really left him here to die ? _She felt culpabily be replaced by sadness as she realised she was about to do the same. If any of her friends would habe been here right now, they would have gone to help him. Stefan, Caroline, Boonie, … But she was there fo her brother. For Jeremy. They were not going to kill him, with a little chance when she finds Damon and her brother she could came back for him.

Her arm was suddenly gripped by a hard hand puttingan end to her thinking. She felt like she had just received a cold shower, she couldn't even breath. The grip hardened as she heard a sobber. She turned around to face the girl she finally recognized. _Hayley. _She only knew her face because of Miss Mystic Falls, she had saw her hanging around with Tyler. For the little she had stay in Mystic Falls she had caused lot of troubles. Her eyes weren't fixed on her but on the fight behind, and this is when she realised it was fear shining in her eyes. _He came for her! _But she was an hybrid, she was with … well, not that with, but still. Why would he came here, there was nothing he could do to help her. But then, was she able to do anything for Jeremy ?

Hayley looked at her hopelessly as if she was waiting for her to have a magic solution.

"I'm helping you if you help me" she blurted out no really sure what she was expecting, realising only after she was supposed to stay quiet. Hayley frowned and her eyes tainted with rage. She was clearly not happy with the turn of events. _Me neither, sweet heart_. Elena was completely aware Hayler was not a choire girl. Hayley moved closer to her, her menacious face inch from her.

"Did you made him come ?"she whispered dangerously.

"No" she whispered back. She couldn't hear anything from behind and she wondered if they had gone away but she did not dare to turn away.

"What do you want ?" she asked pursing her lips.

"I want my brother."

Hayley let out a bitter laugh making Elena shiver. "That's too bad. By the way, where is your friend ? It would make my day to scratch him." Oh god, that was a good question, where the hell was Damon ?

"Look, you help me get my brother I help you save your friend." Does that offer seemed familiar ?

With a little chance she was going to be more reasonable than the other. Hayley did not gave an answer immediately but after a moment she sighed and Elena almost cried and danced in joy.

"Okay. Come with me, not all of them know who you are, if you stay close to me and hide more or less your face we should pass easily. But so you know, getting out of here with your brother and Connor, is going to be a lot, a lot more difficult."

"I'm ready" she assured her.

"Hm... Don't talk." And on that she turned around and made her way quickly thourg the woods, Elena followed her trying to be as silent as she could. She had now a chance to get directly to Jeremy. If they could do their way to him, they must be a way to made it back.

* * *

Elena lowered her head, her hair floating around her. She was trying to keep up behind Hayley but she was petrified. They had attained the camp and they were now walking in the middle of it. The camp was not that huge, but Hayley was stopping by every person she was crossing. _Very discret. _From outside it could look like a random camping reunion, no blood, no bodies, nothing special.

She jumped when she heard a scream, but exept her, it doesn't seem to bother anyone. She quickly understood it must some hybrid experimentations. This place was giving her goosebumps. After a few minutes they both entered in a tent, Elena looked around her expectingly but her eyes did not fell on Jeremy as they should have but on Connor. She turned to Hayley with peircing eyes.

_She trapped me. _Hayley trapped her. She could not do anything exectp help her and believed she would kept her word, but Elena was not that fool, the werewolf did not like her, and the only thing that seemed to matter for her was the hunter, once he was free … She couldn't even tell a word. _Damon, where are you ?_

Hayley rushed to Connor to untie the rops that were firmly attaching him to a colomn. Without even thinking twice about it, Elena grabbed the fisrt thing that was around her which looked like wood, She crossed the distance between them and stabbed clumsilly Hayley in the back who fall to the ground, more by surprise than hurt. She then grabbed the stick she had and punched at her. She was completely crazy there. Her punches and particulary her weapon were of course, not enough and in a few second Hayley was in front of her, and she didn't look happy. None of them dared to make a move, afraid they would attract the attention of the hybrids outside.

Hayley smiled sufficiently looking at her with a "what are you going to do now" look. She was getting on Elena's nerve. She oppened her mouth and faked to scream to make her understand what she was threatening to do. The sound of a fight would immediately alert the others and she knew it was the last thing Hayley would want right now. M_eetings with Klaus were so lovely_. The werewolf girl started to advance toward Elena but before Elena's eyes could even enregistered what was happening, Hayley's neck was slapped and she fell on the ground. Elena repoduced the same self-sufficent smile of her and restrained herself from letting her vanity explode. She looked up to Damon who didn't look that pleased. He never looked that serious. He turned to Connor.

_Oh no, Connor._

This one screamed so loudly every living thing on this forest must have heard him. She had been so concentrated on Hayley she had almost forgotten him, but he didn't. They just slapped her friend in front of him. What was going to happen now ? Time seemed to stop, Elena could only hear his voice. Everything seemed to go in slow motion, even when Damon took her hand and violently pushed her with him out of the tent by behind, even when supernatural creatures appeared one by one in front of them.

"What do we have here ?" sneered one of them. Elena was still holding Damon's hand and squeezed it to make sure he was still at her side. What was scaring her the most right now was what they would do to Damon. She would never forgave herself. He was here because of her, and in this situation there, because of her. Why did she always have to cause trouble to the people who were helping her ? She was starting to ask herself if she was cursed or something. She had wanted to do this alone, she should have refused to involve him. Right know she was just happy Alaric wasn't with them.

"Yeah, what do we have here" said a voice in a delightful tone. A voice Elena knew too god damn well. _Klaus. _He was now in front of them, looking at them in all his glory. If Elena didn't know him better she could have thought he was hot but his crazyness was removing all of his charms.

"Elena, it's always a pleasure to see you" he said looking right in to her eyes. He had cold, and cruel eyes. He then turned to Damon and his smile widened as his eyes became terrifying, anyone who knew him could know now things were going to get ugly. "Damon Salvatore"

"Always a pleasure" replied this one with a fake smile. Elena wanted to look at him, at least to glare at him but she couldn't kept her eyes off Klaus. _So he had met him?_ Maybe he was not going to kill him then, she hoped. Klaus reponded to him with another faked smile and his smile suddenly disapeared as it always did.

"I don't remember us having a proper goodbye last time"

"I was in a bit of a hurry." Klaus suddenly stepped forward and thrust his fist on Damon's chest, making their hands fall apart. Her heart skipped a beat as she heard the sound of broken bones. _Don't touch him!_

"No, wait please!" she screamed.

Klaus raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't you think I have already done enough for you and your little friends back then ?" he asked. Klaus and his unlogical logical. He esteemed leaving them alive was a gift and an help.

"You took my brother" she reminded him.

"But I did not killed him" he said happily as if it was a proof of his goodness. Still it warmed up Elena to know his brother was alive.

"Took him" Klaus ordered to his hybrids, pointing Damon with his finger. "No wait." He took Damon's face in his hands and looked at him with all the unwarmful emotions he could gave him and when Damon replied with a smile he slapped his neck. Elena let out a cry of terror as two hybrids took Damon's corpses and dragged him behind them. She tried to follow but Klaus put himself just in front of her.

"If you came here for your brother, it is going to be my misfortune to tell you I'm not letting him go right now. I need him to do something special for me."

"But why him ? If it's because he is a hunter, you have another one here!" she screamed, tears coming in her eyes.

They had made all the way here, and now Damon was inconscious somewhere in the same situation that her brother, exept they will not hesitate to kill him, and she was there helpless, in front of this monster.

"It would not be as fun." Elena closed her eyes in despair.

"Look, I'm not a bad guy. You can go home, oh say hi to Stefan for me. But I'm keeping this one, we have some thing to catch up, buddy to buddy." he said, choosing specifically his vocabulary.

But something in the air seemed to change and Klaus suddenly started screaming, getting on his knees and taking his head between his hands. No one around them seemed to understand what was happening, some even looked at Elena as if she was the cause of it. She took the opportunity to take some steps away looking for a way out. Werewofls and hybrids were now seeing their heart being rippep out of her chest. Elena thought it had became too much of an habit in her life.

She raised up her head trying to have a look to the person, or persons helping her. One of them crossed her eyes and she sighed in relief depsite the unexplicable irritation she felt. Stefan, Boonie, and … Caroline.

"Oh my god Elena, you're okay" cried Caroline, suddenly in front of her, taking her in her arms. She took her hands and tried to make her follow her. "Come on, we don't have time to waste."

"What, wait, Jeremy!"

Stefan appeared at her other side. They were looking at her as they always do, like she was a little girl. "He is not here anymore Elena." She ripped her arm out of Caroline's grip.

"What do you mean he is not here anymore?" She looked seriously at them. Klaus was still screaming but she wasn't even hearing him. Boonie was standing at his side.

"Look, if we go now, we could be able to catch them and Jeremy, but we need to go now" said Stefan, looking at Klaus. Boonie was not going to last a lot longer. And she did here something she had swore herslef she would not do anymore, and something, even if she didn't knew it right away, she would never did again.

"Okay."

Stefan took the stake he still had on his hand and made his way behind Klaus. In a movement he stabbed him, in the heart. Klaus would not die from this, but that would give them the lead they needed. Boonie started running away with Caroline, and Stefan took a last look at the scene before following them.

"Stefan!" she screamed. "We need to get Damon out of here" She ran to Damon who was still lying on the ground. All of them have acted as if he wasn't here. She didn't care about Stefan and Damon's arguments, he was not staying here.

"Why ?" asked Stefan in a somber voice.

"Why ?" She did not even know what to answer to that, the answer was so evident. "He helped me, he-he is your brother"

"This is not the word that came to me when I think of him."

"Stefan, please." She could not carry Damon all the way out the woods, and there was no way she was letting him here, she would rather stay here and face Klaus's rage. Stefan glared at her like he never did and finally sighed in defeat. He made his way to Damon and put him on his back. She whispered a thank you to him and they flee the scene as fast as they could.

_What a hell. _

* * *

_"Is taken the one who thought he was taking"  
_


End file.
